(Medan, November 29, 2025). On Friday, November 27, 2025, a hybrid EIA Appraisal Commission Meeting was held to discuss the Type A Andal RKL-RPL by PT Dairi Prima Mineral (PT DPM). The meeting was attended by representatives from relevant agencies at the regency and provincial levels, the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), the proponent PT DPM, community representatives and traditional leaders supporting the mine, as well as representatives from NGOs accompanying the residents affected by the mine—Yayasan PETRASA and Yayasan Diakonia Pelangi Kasih (YDPK)—who joined via Zoom meeting.

Regarding the meeting, invitations were sent to the respective accompanying institutions at a very late date: Yayasan PETRASA received theirs on November 25, 2025, and YDPK on November 26, 2025. Meanwhile, the documents to be discussed (the Andal RKL-RPL) were sent via Amdalnet to the participants' emails only after they registered. Such a tight timeframe made it impossible for the participants to thoroughly read, study, and analyze the contents of the documents.

During the presentation, the AMDAL drafting team remained non-transparent and could not adequately explain the negative impacts that residents would face. The drafting team stated that the Tailing Storage Facility (TSF), which had been the residents' main concern, had been eliminated in the new AMDAL and replaced with a material backfill method. The material backfill method is a mining technique where fill material is placed back into the excavated void after the mineral or ore has been extracted.

Taking the opportunity during the meeting, Rohani Manalu, representing YDPK, read a letter rejecting the execution of the AMDAL Appraisal Commission meeting for the following reasons:

1. That the Invitation Letter for the EIA Appraisal Commission Meeting to discuss the Addendum to the Andal RKL-RPL Type A by PT Dairi Prima Mineral (Number: B.7325/E.2/PLA.6.1/11/2025 dated November 19, 2025), signed by the Director of Prevention of Environmental Impacts of Businesses and Activities, was only received by Yayasan YDPK on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at 13:55 WIB—or 1 day before the AMDAL Appraisal Commission Meeting took place. The invitation letter was handed over by Dortianna Doloksaribu, who serves as the Treasurer of the Forum Lestari Tanoh Pakpak.

2. That the Guidelines for Assessing EIA and RKL-RPL Documents by the Environmental Feasibility Test Team, as regulated in Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 22 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Environmental Protection and Management, in section C number 1c, explicitly determines that "Andal and RKL-RPL documents must be received by all members of the Environmental Feasibility Test Team no later than 5 (five) working days before the Environmental Feasibility Test Team meeting is conducted." Thus, the delivery of the Invitation Letter by PT Dairi Prima Mineral was not in accordance with the regulated time limit provisions.

Duat Sihombing from PETRASA added, "Therefore, it is fitting for the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency, Deputy for Environmental Governance and Sustainable Natural Resources Cq Director of Prevention of Environmental Impacts of Businesses and Activities, to issue a Decree of Environmental Unfeasibility to PT Dairi Prima Mineral."
Gersom Tampubolon, a representative of Dairi residents affected by the mine from Bongkaras Village, stated that he was unaware that an EIA Appraisal Commission meeting was taking place, as he also did not know that DPM had conducted any consultation or socialization in the village with residents beforehand. He also stated that the Ministry of Environment (KLH) should not grant environmental feasibility to PT DPM, considering Dairi is a disaster-prone area. "Recently, we have seen natural disasters striking several areas in Aceh and North Sumatra, covering Sibolga and Central Tapanuli, caused by massive forest destruction due to mining and logging activities," said Gersom.

Nurleli Sihotang, representing the affected residents' legal counsel, explained, "Previously, on May 22, 2025, the Minister of Environment issued Decree Number 888 of 2025 regarding the revocation of PT DPM's environmental feasibility. However, in the process, PT DPM continues to strive to mine in Dairi. We heard that PT DPM is in the process of drafting a new EIA, so we took the initiative to write to the Ministry of Environment Cq Directorate of Prevention of Environmental Impacts of Businesses and Activities on October 27, 2025, requesting information regarding PT DPM's new EIA submission plan, but to this day our letter has not been answered."

Furthermore, Nurleli added a key point for rejecting the EIA appraisal meeting: that mining in Dairi is prohibited. This is mentioned in Article 53 paragraph (3) of Dairi Regency Regional Regulation Number 7 of 2014 concerning the Dairi Regency Spatial Plan (RTRW) for 2014-2034, which asserts that Silima Pungga-Pungga District is a functional wet rice farming area that cannot change its function.

The prohibition on mining in Dairi is also affirmed in the legal considerations of Supreme Court (MA) Decision Number: 277 K/TUN/LH/2024, dated August 12, 2024, which states that based on Dairi Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2014, Silima Pungga-Pungga District is a functional wet rice farming area that cannot undergo land conversion. "Dairi Regency, particularly the concession area of PT Dairi Prima Mineral, is a disaster-prone area, thus conflicting with Article 97 paragraph (2) letter a and paragraph (3) letter a of Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Environmental Protection and Management. Hopefully, this remains a consideration for the KLH/BPLH RI in making decisions for the future safety of Dairi residents," concluded Nurleli.

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Riada Panjaitan: 082274999250